The Caregiver’s Bill Of Rights P.1

There are some days when I cannot get myself out of an internet wormhole. I will scour the web for hours for sources of comfort and information to make me the best caregiver I can for my husband. In my web browsing travels, I have found multiple resources that have made me pause and think about my journey. I will think about how far I have come, and how far I have yet to go.

Stress can negatively affect your own health. If we are not able to take care of ourselves – go to the doctor when we start to feel ill, drive to the pharmacy to pick up our own medications – then how can we as caregivers effectively take care of our loved one? God has given you one body; it is the only one you will inhabit on this earth.

Do not feel selfish for putting your needs first sometimes.

If your loved one is being looked after responsibly then, go for a walk, exercise, go get your annual check up from the doctor or dentist. If you are not at your best, then how can your loved one be at theirs?

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That short article lifted me up, and made me feel less guilty. I have been caregiver for my now 96 year old dad for 3 years this December. I already lost my mother, and 2 sisters, one of them was a nurse, who had promised to take care of Dad in her home. He had been living alone in this town, with no relatives here, after my stepmother passed in 2004. I was kind of chosen by my remaining siblings, because my kids were grown up, and I could come here to dad’s. It has been a long, arduous, 3 years, and I have seen him decline physically and mentally. He has Senile Dementia, and forgets things daily now, even things that happened 5 minutes ago! I have had to draw heavily on my faith and my own strength reserves! But like this article says, you have to see about yourself as well, physically, mentally and spiritually! I praise God for these last year’s with my father. The Bible says “this too shall pass away”. I leave this all in His hands, and take it all one day at a time, until my dad goes Home. (Marsha McCroskey, Fort Wayne, In).

About Kim Campbell

Kim is a Co-founder of the I’ll Be Me Alzheimer’s Fund. She is a member of the Patient/Caregiver Advisory Council for the Alzheimer's and Dementia Patient/Caregiver Powered Research Network (AD-PCPRN), and sits on the board of Abe’s Garden, a memory care community dedicated to providing and elevating the quality of the full spectrum of memory care for those with Alzheimer’s in association with the Vanderbilt Center for Quality Aging (ACQA).

Kim Campbell and her associates are not medical or dementia-care professionals. They are not authorities on dementia beyond what they have experienced. Kim Campbell and her associates are not lawyers, financial advisors, or certified caregivers. They write to share their stories and experiences in the hopes that it may help someone with their own journey in dementia care. If you are looking for advice in caregiving or patient care, please consult your loved one's social worker or licensed physician.